London - Harry Redknapp looks set for a dramatic exit as the manager of Tottenham Hotspur, with Sky Sports reporting on Wednesday that he was set to leave White Hart Lane.
The 65-year-old Englishman was known to be pushing Spurs chairman Daniel Levy for an extension to his contract, which expires at the end of next season, saying the uncertainty surrounding his position was destabilising the squad.
It has been claimed that Levy is only willing to offer Redknapp a rolling 12-month contract whereas the former Portsmouth manager is thought to want a longer deal.
Redknapp did achieve Levy's goal of a top four finish last season but while that would normally have been good enough for a Champions League place it wasn't this time because Chelsea took a place for winning this term's tournament.
Of course had Spurs not squandered a 10-point lead over Arsenal late in the season, they would have finished third instead of their north London rivals.
Tottenham's slump in form came when it was widely assumed by the British media that Redknapp would become the next England manager following Italian boss Fabio Capello's resignation.
Instead, the Football Association chose the less flamboyant Roy Hodgson, now in charge of England at the ongoing Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine.
Prior to the speculation surrounding the England job, Redknapp also had to deal with the stress of facing a tax trial brought on charges relating to his time as Portsmouth manager.
He was cleared by a jury of all charges.
Redknapp denied the trial or the England speculation had had any impact on Tottenham's results.
And Tuesday saw him repeating his call to Levy for a new contract, saying without it Spurs risked losing star players such as Gareth Bale and Luka Modric.
“The simple situation is, I've got a year left on my contract,” he told ESPN Soccernet.
“It's not a case of me looking for security. What it's about is players knowing you've only got one year left on your contract and knowing that it doesn't work, basically.
“You don't let players run into the last year of their contract if you think they're any good, and you don't let managers run into the last year of their contract if you think they're any good.
“It's up to Tottenham. If they think I'm okay and I've done a decent job and deserve an extension, they'll give it to me.
“If Daniel doesn't think I'm worth it, that's up to him, that's up to the club. There's nothing I can do about it.”
When Redknapp arrived from Portsmouth to replace Juande Ramos at White Hart Lane in 2008, Tottenham were bottom of the Premier League
But he has since led them to the quarterfinals of the Champions League and two top four finishes in the Premier League.
Everton manager David Moyes was linked with the Tottenham job when Redknapp was being touted for the England post and the Scot remains the bookmakers' favourite to replace him if there is a vacancy. - Sapa-AFP